Sand spreader



Aug. 27, 1957 E. s. F. SWEET SAND SPREADER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 26. 1954 r O t n e v n EDMUND Cf." SWEET Aug. 27, 1957 Filed July 26, 1954 E. G. F. SWEET SAND SPREADER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor EDMUND 0.1-: SWEET SAND SPREADER Edmund G. F. Sweet, Brantford, Ontario, Canada, assignor to Brantford Coach and Body Limited, Brantford, fintario, Canada, a corporation of Ontario Application July 26,1954, Serial No. 445,566

Claims. (Cl. 275-8) This invention relates to a device for spreading sand on roads.

Sand spreaders wherein sand is spread on roads from a travelling vehicle by means of a horizontally disposed spreading disk that is caused to rotate at a high rate of speed to spread sand dropped thereon by centrifugal force are 'well known. I have devised a novel apparatus for conveying the flow of sand or other material to be spread from a hopper to the spreading disk.

My conveying means includes a slowly revolving con: veying plate that is mounted beneath a sand hopper. Fences are rigidly mounted above the plate adjacent where the hopper discharges thereonto for the purpose of pushing the discharge of sand from the hopper to the plate off the edge of the plate. Means are provided for guiding the flow of sand from the edge of the slowly revolving plate towards the spreading disk which revolves at a high rate of speed to spread the sand or other material on the road by centrifugal force. I

The invention will be clearly understood after reference to the following detailed specification read in conjunction with the drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hopper and conveying plate according to my invention.

Figure 2 is a partial perspective view of the hopper illustrated in Figure 1 from a difierent angle.

Figure 3 is a plan view illustrating the slowly revolving conveying plate and the fences that are mounted thereabove to push the sand therefrom.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view illustrating the manner in which the chute which carries the sand or other material from the slowly revolving conveying plate to the spreading disk, discharges onto the latter.

Figure 5 is a side view of a truck having a unit of the type under consideration mounted thereon.

In Figure 5 of the drawings I illustrate a truck having sand spreading apparatus according to the invention mounted thereon. The sand spreading apparatus which is better illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, includes a hopper 11 which is rigidly mounted on the body of the truck 10 by any suitable means, which latter means are not the subject matter of this invention and have not been illustrated in detail in this application. The hopper has a discharge opening 12 adjacent its lower end which is opened and closed by means of the gate '13. A round plate 14 is rotatably mounted underneath the discharge opening 12 of the hopper 11 so that the sand or other material in the hopper can extend down onto the plate 14 through the opening 12. The plate 14 is mounted on a rotatable shaft indicated by the numeral 15. Shaft 15 carries gear 17 and is rotatably driven from the pinion gear 16 by means of the chain 18. Pinion gear 16 is powered in any suitable manner and, since the actual drive means is not an inventive feature of this invention, detail of the power means is not illustrated.

It will be noted that the discharge opening 12 overlies States Patent the plate 14 eccentrically passes thereunder, as shown in Figure 1, can readily reenter the passage between the fences 19 and 22 adjacent the outer fence 22.

A fence 19 is rigidly mounted above the plate 14 by' means of the brackets 20 and 21 which attach tothe. hop per '11. Fence 19 extends spirally from a point adjacent the inner extremityof the hopper discharge. on the plate 14 towards the edge of the conveyor plate whereby in use it pushesthe sand or other material that flows frorn'the hopper to the 'plate laterally off the conveyor plate: It i will be noted that the fence 19 has a substantial length:

and that the material is conveyed a substantial distance across the body of the truck before being pushed off of the disk by thefence. Preferably the lower edge of. the

fence 19 has a rubber skirt 21a secured thereto which will 1 yield to permit bits of sand and "the like in the hopper discharge to pass thereunder. These pieces might-other wise become jammed between the bottom edge of thefence and the revolving plate 14.

, .Numeral 22 indicates a second fence'whiehi co-extends with fence 19 around the outer edge of the conveyor plate 14from a point adjacent the hopper flow onto the'plate toapoint spaced from the point where the first fence 19 communicates with the edge of the plate whereby 'to de r fine'an'o'pening 23 for the hopper discharge. Fence 22' serves the purpose of preventing the discharge from the hopper from spilling over theedge prior to the discharge opening 23-; It also preferably has a' resilient skirt 22m;

secured to the bottom edge thereof so that pieces of sand and the like will not become jammed between the bottom of the plate 14 and the bottom of the fence 22.

Aligned with the discharge opening 23 and rigidly secured to the frame of the truck by bolting or any other suitable means, is a trough 24 which gathers the discharge from the conveying plate 14 and conducts it downwardly to the spreading disk 25. The upper end of the trough 24 is illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings. The lower end, where it discharges onto the spreading disk 25, is illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings. Disk 25 is rigidly secured to the shaft 26 which is rotatably mounted in a suitable manner in the truck body and driven from a suitable source of power in a known manner. The operation of spreading disks like the disk 25 is well known in the art and need not be illustrated in this application.

In use, the hopper 11 is filled with sand, salt, or other material to be spread upon the road. The gate 13 of opening 12 is then opened to let the desired amount of material to be spread to flow onto the conveying plate 14. The material is deposited as illustrated between the fence 19 and fence 22, and as the conveying plate 14 rotates the fence 19 pushes the material spirally outwardly thereof towards the edge to discharge it at the discharge gate 23; Discharge gate 23 is aligned with guide trough 24 which guides the sand or other material onto the spreading disk 25 which is, in turn, rotating at a high rate of speed and spreads the material sodeposited on it by centrifugal force.

The skirts 21a and 22a on the fences 19 and 22 respectively are adapted to permit small quantities of the material to be spread to pass under the fences to which they are attached and prevent these particles from becoming jammed between the rotating plate 14 and the lower edge of the gates.

- Patented Au -27, 1957 of the center of rotation of; shaft 15 and, as indicated by the arrow on Figure 3, it

invention. Speed would change with plate diameter and even with the particular material being spread. It would also vary with the speed of the truck unit as a whole. Plate 14, however, is a conveyingv plate and not a spreader plate that spreads by centrifugal force.

What I claim as my inventionis:

1. A vehicle for spreading sand or the like comprising a body, a conveyor plate rotatably mounted on said body, means for rotating said conveyor plate, a hopper rigidly mounted on said body above said conveyor plate, said conveyor plate having a marginal edge portion extending laterally of the bottom of said hopper that is adapted to act as a conveying surface in use, a gate adjacent the lower end of said hopper adapted to discharge .onto the conveying surface of said conveyor plate, first fence means rigidly mounted above the conveying surface of said conveyor plate, a second fence means rigidly mounted above the conveying surface of said conveyor plate adjacent the edge of said conveyor plate spaced from said first fence means but substantially co extensive therewith, said first fence means extending spirally of the conveyor plate and transversely of said vehicle body to the edge of said conveyor plate from a point adjacent the inner limit of the conveying surface of said conveyor plate adjacent where said gate deposits material thereon in use whereby to define with said second fence means a passage means over the conveying surface of said conveyor plate from adjacent where said gate depositsmaterial on said conveyor plate and terminating at the edge of said conveyor plate, said first fence means being adapted in use to push the major portion of material carried through said passage means by the conveying surface of said disk over the edge of said disk at the termination of said passage means, the remainder passing under said first fence means, said gate being adapted to discharge the contents of said hopper on said conveying surface of said conveyor plate adjacent said first fence means and inwardly of the outer edge of the conveying surface of said conveyor plate, whereby in use material that is not pushed from said conveyor plate by said first fence means but passes thereunder as aforesaid can readily re enter said passage means adjacent said second fence means, a spreading disk rotatably mounted on said body beneath said conveying disk to receive, material thereon that is pushed from said conveyor plate as aforesaid, and means for rotating said spreading disk at a high rate of speed to spread the material dropped thereon by centrifugal force.

2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 having guide means for guiding material from said conveyor plate to said spreading disk.

3. A vehicle for spreading sand as claimed in claim 1 in which the lower edge of at least said first fence means has a skirt of a resilient material secured to its lower edge. 1

4. Avehicle for spreading'sand or the like as claimed in claim 1 in which said drive means for rotating said conveying plate rotates it at a speed between 8 and 17 R. P. M.

5. A vehicle for spreading sand or the like as claimed in claim 1 in which said drive means for rotating said conveying plate rotates it at a speed between 10 and 15 R. P. M., andin which said conveying plate has a diameter of between 40 and 56 inches.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS I Wheldon Sept. 3, 1940 

